A Little Something Different (20 page)

If I miss my moment, I may never get another chance. And if I don’t get another chance, he’ll never know that I was looking in the first place. Because that’s the kind of person he is, the kind of person that makes you want to look.

I can’t wait to tell Pam that they both took the bait, and they ran with it. I am so impressed with both of them. I give Lea a thumbs-up as she hands me her paper and then takes her seat.

I take a second to turn and look at Gabe. He’s hunched over at his desk, his arms crossed, hugging himself, but his expression is priceless. His smile looks like it’s ready to explode off his face and he keeps blinking and shaking his head.

“All right, so far, so good. Let’s keep moving!” I say.

Bench
(on the green)

Why is it that as soon as the days get warmer, I have to take part in every personal conversation on Earth? Don’t these kids ever talk in private?

As soon as this ass took a seat, I knew I was in for it. Even if it’s my favorite rear end, the best butt I’ve ever known, I can tell by the way he’s sitting that he’s waiting for someone.

“Hi,” a female voice says.

“Hi,” the butt owner says.

They’re quiet for a long minute.

“Can I sit?” the girl asks.

“Of course.” Nobody ever asks
me
if they can sit.

“So…”

“I liked your essay.”

“I liked yours, too.”

More silence.

“I’m so sorry about the other night,” the girl says. “It’s all I can think about and I was trying to come up with some better way to say it. And if I didn’t think it would be completely humiliating I would have stood in front of the class and said it. But then I started thinking about Hillary listening and judging. I just…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” he says. “I’m sorry, too.”

“I’m sorry I was stupid.”

“No way. I was way more stupid.”

“Maybe we should both try to be less stupid. I hereby pledge to make you act less stupid,” she says, holding her hand up like she’s taking an oath.

“For the record, I’ll still probably be pretty stupid sometimes. I make no promises that you’ll have the positive influence on me that you assume you’ll have.”

“You know I don’t really think you’re stupid.”

“Well, how about this,” he says, pausing for a long moment. “A compromise. Sometimes I act stupid.”

“Of course. But everyone acts stupid sometimes. You don’t think I was being stupid when I basically attacked you about talking to Hillary?”

“I don’t know, I thought it was kind of cute.”

“You say that now, but I promise you, it was stupid.”

“This conversation is kind of stupid.”

“A little bit, yeah.”

“I think we’re overusing the word ‘stupid.’ We’ll have to put that on the no-no list along with ‘stuff.’”

She laughs. “We are, but that’s okay. Nothing wrong with pointless conversation sometimes. It’s like … practice.”

“Why, do we have some kind of big conversational exam coming up?”

She shifts to sit up straighter and he mirrors her movement. I think they must look at each other for a long time. At least I have a few minutes of peace and quiet.

“Stop looking at my ear,” he says.

“I’m not looking at your ear.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Well, now I am,” she says, squinting at his ear. “It’s totally invisible.”

“It’s not a big deal, it’s really tiny,” he says.

“And it helps?” she asks. She shifts closer to him, like she was just waiting for an excuse to enter his personal bubble.

He inches toward her, too, until their legs are touching. “The doctor wasn’t sure if this kind would work for me, but I guess I lucked out.”

“It seems like maybe you did.” Her voice is so soft now, I’m not sure I’d be able to hear her if they weren’t sitting right here. “I like you. You know that, right?”

“Yeah. The essay helped me figure that out.”

“That’s what I was hoping.”

“Me too, I mean, I like you, too.”

“Do you have anywhere you need to be right now?”

“Nowhere.”

They sag into each other and I can tell I’m going to be stuck with them for a while.

I suppose there are worse couples to have to listen to.

Maxine
(a waitress)

When they walk in, I can immediately tell something is different. Everything about them is less tense, like all of the anxiety has washed out of them. Not to mention the fact that they’re actually coming in together, at the same time, and he’s holding the door for her, like the good fella I knew he could be.

“Pick a seat,” I tell them. It’s quiet; the semester is almost over and one of the young girls called in sick tonight, so I’m hostessing and waitressing. I don’t mind a bit, particularly if it means I get to see my favorite couple.

“How are you?” she asks, turning toward me.

“Well, I’m peachy,” I tell her. “How are you two tonight?”

“I don’t know about Gabe, but I’m starving,” she says.

“Me too,” he agrees.

“What have you two been up to today?” I ask. I’m feeling nosy.

“We took the train into the city and walked around mostly,” he says.

“It was sort of perfect,” she says.

“Sounds like you had a good time,” I say.

They nod and smile.

“Do you all need another minute or two to decide?”

“Yes, please,” she says.

“Let me know when you’re ready.”

I go behind the counter and start filling saltshakers, making sure to stay within earshot because there’s something about these two that I can’t get enough of.

“Hey, Lea,” the boy says.

“Mmm? I can’t decide between grilled cheese and an omelet.”

“Look up for a second,” he says.

She does.

“I’ve been meaning to do this all day.” He leans across the table and plants her one right on the lips and then pulls back after a few seconds.

“That was a good idea,” she says.

Oh, these two sweethearts are going to be the end of me.

Squirrel!

The boy and the girl are back and actually together. I race toward them, ready to throw myself at their feet for whatever delicious treat they’ve brought me this time.

They’re sitting on my favorite bench and his arm is around her and their heads are close and they’re talking.

“So, you want to know the basics,” she says, twining their hands together.

“Yeah, I feel like I don’t know much about you. I know lots of tidbits, but very few facts. Stuff like parents, siblings, birthday, favorite ice cream flavor?”

“Not very interesting. Divorced parents, I mostly see my dad because my mom’s remarried with two kids of her own that she’s raising more attentively than she ever did with me.” She pauses. “Not that I’m super bitter about it or anything.”

“Sucks,” he says. I like how he’s twirling her hair around his finger. I wish someone would twirl my tail like that.

She shrugs. “I’m getting over it.”

“How do you get over something like that?”

“This conversation might be more like fourth-date material,” she says. “So I’m going to move on to the rest of those questions. Birthday, June fourth.”

“Coming up soon,” he says. “Let me add that to the old calendar.”

“Favorite ice cream flavor would have to be mint chocolate chip.”

“I will buy you a tub of it for your birthday.…”

She giggles and leans in closer to him.

I decide not to bother them. I have plenty to eat.

Frank
(Chinese-food delivery guy)

Only a couple of nights until the end of the school year and I’m delivering out to the freshman dorms again. I should be at home studying for my physics final, but I could really use the money. Maybe I should get someone to read me my notes while I drive.

When I bring the order up to the door, the guy and girl I always assume are dating are actually sitting outside.

“That’s for us,” the girl says.

“Hey, you finally took my advice and ordered together!”

They laugh.

“I was hoping that would happen.”

“You’re not the only one,” the boy says.

They give me an awesome tip.

Danny
(Lea’s friend)

I am storming Lea’s dorm room in the name of what the hell is going on with her and Gabe. I haven’t heard from her since Starbucks last week and I need to get the update. I can barely concentrate on studying for finals.

I come down the hallway and her door is just barely ajar. Excellent, that means she’s probably in there and I can corner her and get the information I’m looking for.

I push the door open wide.

“Azalea Fong,” I say, putting on my most serious voice.

Then I notice the litter of Chinese food containers across the dresser. And the TV playing an episode of what I think is
Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Oh dear, and there are two people tangled up in each other in a nest of pillows on the floor.

I cover my eyes and yelp as I turn to leave.

“Danny?” Lea gasps, sitting up.

Gabe sits up, too.

Luckily they’re both fully clothed.

“I am so sorry,” I say.

“It’s okay,” Lea says, standing up. Gabe follows suit, although he stands a little behind her and doesn’t quite meet my eyes. She takes his arm and pulls him in front of her.

“Gabe, this is Danny.”

I lean over to shake his hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Gabe says.

“We’ve actually met once or twice. You lived on the same floor with my housemate Maureen.”

“Did you used to have blond hair?” Gabe asks, examining my face.

“It was a phase.”

“Oh, yeah! I asked about your jeans once because my mom’s always bugging me about what brand jeans I want. And I kind of don’t care about brands. But she does, I guess.”

Everything makes a lot more sense now.

“Well, I’ll let you two get back to your date.”

“Thanks, Danny,” Lea says, reaching to give me a hug. “We’ll talk soon, I promise.”

“Pinky promise?”

She rolls her eyes, but hooks her pinky to mine.

I close the door behind me as I leave, so no more stragglers interrupt them.

Well, that was mortifying.

But my God, they’re adorable.

Acknowledgments

I have a feeling this might get slightly out of hand, so let’s start at the very beginning with Jean Feiwel. Without her brilliant idea to mix young adult books and
The X Factor
, this wouldn’t be happening. I appreciate everything that she’s done for me.

A bucket of gratitude to my editor, Holly West, whose help and patience through the editing process has been nothing short of amazing. This novel would only be half as good without her insights. Also thanks to Molly Brouillette, Allison Verost, and Kathryn Little for a variety of things along the way. And to the Swoon Reads community for all of their reading, rating, and reviewing.

Boatloads of appreciation to my friends and coworkers at the Morristown and Morris Township Library for their flexibility and support: Maria Norton, Chad Leinaweaver, Arlene Sprague, Kelly Simms, Virginia Lee, and Anne Ryan Dello Russo, in particular. Also Jim Collins, for listening to every outrageous book idea I’ve had during the past four years. Someday, I’m going to write that zombie-mermaid saga.

Endless thanks to the online contingent: Kandra Rivers for her draft reading and encouragement to keep going, Hanna Nowinski for not blocking my e-mail address after the 5,000th message I sent about trying to find the perfect “aw” moment, and Adi Lubotzki for having a thoroughly intriguing answer to the question “What kind of romance novel do you want to read?” And to all my Tumblr friends and followers, you gave me the
courage
to post my writing in the first place.

Eternally indebted to Lauren Velella, because every time I say, “Hey, I wrote some junk, you wanna read it?” she answers, “Always!” To Michelle Petrasek for being a dynamite reader, editor, gambling buddy, and IHOP enthusiast. To Chrissy George for being my first beta and favorite person to shop with. And a quick shout-out to the FRLK girls—Kate Vasilik, Katie Nellen, Chelsea Reichert, and Melanie Moffitt—for listening and for making me cry using only a call number and an ISBN.

Major props and nothing but love to my sister and brothers: Karen, Scott, and Sean, because a little bit of you leaks into everything I write. You have far more influence on me than you could imagine. Also thanks to Bill, Billy, Zak, Sandra, Brianna, and Kathleen for being a part of this big old family.

Forever grateful to my mom, Pat, for a million reasons, far too many to enumerate here. I would also like to apologize for the foul language. Finally, to my dad, Wayne, whom I miss every day. I like to imagine when he found out this news, he would have said something along the lines of “Way to be, Sandra Jean!” and then bought me a cake.

A Coffee Date

with author Sandy Hall and her editor, Holly West

“About the Author”

Holly West (HW): Do you have a favorite fictional couple? Who is your OTP?